The Magic Tinderbox

Full-length pantomime

Loosely derived from the story by Hans Andersen

Available from the author. Click here to request further details or to order a free reading copy.

Running time: about two hours excluding interval. This depends on the production and the use of songs.

Songs: the script includes some suggestions, including some old favourites with new lyrics.

Nausea, a wicked witch, and her son Pongo need to find a man of no brain to enter the cave under a tree to find the magic tinder-box. Mrs Duckling and her sons, Hans and Fingers, want to become rich; Hans has a plan to sell unusual flavoured coffees in Copenhagen. The henpecked King wants to find a rich man to marry his daughter, as the country is bankrupt. But his daughter is setting off on a Gap Year to save the world.

The King feels ill after trying one of Hans's coffees and orders the police force – Hou, You, Mee and Him – to arrest Hans. All goes hopelessly wrong before it all comes right and everyone (almost) gets married. 

“The Tinderbox is a traditional pantomime, filled with song, silliness and crazy characters. This is family entertainment at its best.” (Courtenay Little Theatre Society, Canada)

“Loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale, Peter Bond’s pantomime version of The Tinderbox has family entertainment at its heart.” (Comox Valley Record)

Note: the story of The Tinderbox is similar to that of Aladdin, and some features of this version may remind you of the Aladdin script.

Script Extract:

Fingers: Hello, boys and girls! My name’s Fingers. And I’ve got a brother called Hans. That’s right. Hans and Fingers! There’s a song about us. Yes – Hans and Fingers, Knees and Toes. Knees and Toes are my cousins. Now, I've got a great idea for making some money. You see, my brother wants to become the richest man in China and marry the Princess. (She waits for audience reaction)Yes, he does. But my brother’s useless. He’s never made any honest money in his life. So I’m going to help him. Look.(She goes to the tree at the side of the stage) This is my tree. It's a fir-tree. I am going to water it every day until it grows up to be really enormous. And then I'm going to make lots of money - selling fir-coats. At the moment, all it grows is fir-cones. Well, cones, anyway. I'll water it. I knew a chap once who tried to grow buses. So he planted a load of buses. No, not real buses, silly! He planted the roots. Bus-roots. For a long time nothing happened. Then a whole lot came at once. (She gets a can and waters the tree. The tree grows a few inches) Look - it's growing already. Now it's very important that nobody touches this fir-tree. If anyone does, you must all shout out FINGERS as loud as you can. Can you manage that? 

Audience: Yes.

Fingers: Great! Don't forget! 

(Exit Fingers. Enter Hans right, pushing a trolley or stall on wheels for selling pizzas. The trolley has a big sign saying HANS’S DIAL-A-DANISH PIZZA)

Hans: Hello, boys and girls! 

Audience: (probably) Hello Hans.

Hans: Not bad. How did you know my name? (Audience will probably say, It’s on the trolley) Anyone want to buy a pizza? They're special Danish pizzas – sweet pizzas, with sugar. And cream. What's this? (He goes to the tree) Fir- cones! I'll try one. 

Audience: Fingers!

Characters (16 – plus Chorus and an offstage Voice):

King Eric

Queen Erica

Princess Johanna, their daughter

Nausea, a wicked witch

Pongo, her son

The Dog (a talking dog)

Mrs Duckling, a Danish pastry cook

Hans, her son

Fingers, her daughter

Neil, an important courtier

Dotty } handmaids to

Dilly } the Princess

Hoo }

Yoo } police-

Mee } men

Him }

A Voice (offstage, unseen)

Chorus of Courtiers (non-speaking) – as many or as few as required

Bats (dancers) - optional

The Magic Tinderbox has been performed in Canada as well as in various locations in the U.K.